My Pork Belly Story...

[norcal q]

So...I must have spent hours on Youtube watching all the how-to vids on pork belly. By the time I was done, I knew I had PB nailed. All I had to do was do it.
Long story short, when I was done, my burnt end pork belly was like burnt shoe leather...it really was terrible.
Cut to this morning... I was at the store picking up some chicken to smoke and there it was, staring up at me...taunting me...so I bought some pork belly to give it a second try, only this time, I decided to do it my way. I just figured I'd do it the way I do most pork. I left the PB in strips. Mustard, rub and in the smoker at 240*.
About 4 hours later, I took a temp and it was 205 to 210 and it probed tender. Took the strips out, wrapped and held in a cooler. About 2 hours later, out they came and I sliced them up into chunks. Now, they may not look as good as the Youtube ends, but man, they sure were good to me. It was like good ribs without the bones...fatty little morsels...
I'm just so glad I tried them again and I'm glad I ignored my research and just cooked them up for me. Maybe that's what I should always do. Here's a pic...

 

[mike5051]

Never done a pork belly, but yours looks really tasty!

Mike

 

[gmc2003]

Those belly cubes sure do look good.

Point for sure.

Chris

 

[SmokinAl]

Looks pretty darn good from here too!!
Al

 

[chilerelleno]

LMAO, good story of failure and success.
Know you're happy now to have given it a second chance.
I agree with everyone, those look good enough to eat.
Nice way to persevere.

 

[bmudd14474]

Well we have all been there and if anyone tells you they haven't then they are not being honest..

Check this link out for PB Burnt ends https://www.smoking-meat.com/august-3-2017-smoked-pork-belly-burnt-ends

 

[katemail13]

Looks great! What kind of mustard, and how much did you use? This sounds like exactly what I'd like to do with the one I will be smoking tomorrow.

 

[norcal q]

Regular old yellow mustard on pork belly strips. I looked for bark first, then started probing after about 3 hours. It's easy to overcook these babies, so keep an eye.

 

[SmokinLogs]

I do the same thing. When I get ready to smoke something new I do some research and watch gobs of YouTube videos. They are helpful but sometimes I think it makes me overthink the cook, and making what I like. Sometimes you just have to do what sounds good to you. Good job, that pork belly looks delicious!

 

[browneyesvictim]

I totally get what you are saying. KISS is almost always better. I remember the first belly burnt ends I did were overcooked because I was trying so hard to render out more of the fat. That made the lean dry and crumbly. Point for perseverance!